MalonxLink Fic
by 105ttt
Summary: Malon is working as usual on Lon Lon Ranch when Link visits and invites her to join him for a walk in Kokiri Forest. Malon accepts the invitation, eager to spend time with her favorite Fairy Kid. The time they spend together is simply magical.
1. Chapter 1

The familiar heat of a Hylian afternoon embraced Malon as she carefully made her way across the corral of Lon Lon Ranch towards the exit. She had just finished feeding carrots to the last few horses, but there was much more work to be done. Of course, her father always seemed to have something else to add to the long list once most of the tasks were complete. This was how she had lived her whole life, though, and by now, work seemed more monotonous than tiring. Wiping the sweat from her forehead and giving a sigh, she brought up a mental list of her remaining chores for the day before being interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Malon, sweetheart! Are ya done with the milking yet?"

Her father. Right. Because he was getting old, he didn't do as much around the ranch as he did seven years ago, back when Malon was just a little girl. Nowadays, Malon was the one who had to go to market every day to sell milk in addition to her regular daily routine. She understood Talon's condition, though, and she made sure to take care of him when he needed it. It was only fair as a way to repay him for taking care of her for so long.

"No, Papa! I just finished feeding the horses! I'll get to it real soon."

Malon heard her father give her a quick thanks and then the sound of a wooden door closing. The old man hadn't even left the house to ask the question. Well, that explained the yelling.

It seemed like most of her time as of recently was spent either on the ranch, traveling across Hyrule Field with the heavy milk cart, or standing around in the market square of Castle Town. It was the same cycle every day. While the work wasn't as tiring as it could be, Malon could only pray for a day when a prince would descend from the night sky and whisk her away to somewhere else. What was it like to travel to places where few people had been before ? A certain friend of hers had described marvelous things to her about lands far off, where the "people" weren't human; where huge monsters lived in harmony and ate rocks; where hordes of female bandits raided temples and thrived in the desert; where there was a tribe of fish-people that worshipped a living whale deity…

Alas, it seemed like today was not a day for grandiose adventure. Her prince would come another time. Right now, it was time to retrieve a bucket for milking. She made her way to the barn on the far right side of the ranch. As she approached, a nasty scent filled her nose, and she let out a small "eugh" when she finally reached the barn doors. The smell only worsened as she opened the door and entered the small building. Inside, the cows were standing around, not doing much at all, it seemed.

"I wish I could laze around like y'all sometimes, you know." Malon remarked to the cattle. They all simply stared at her, except for one which gave a half-hearted moo. She chuckled a little at that.

In a few seconds she had grabbed a bucket for milking and a stool to sit on from a small wooden closet in the back left corner of the barn. Resting on the right side of the closet were a pitchfork, which she used for scooping hay or grass, and a shovel, which was used for… well, she didn't want to think about it. It wasn't a stretch to say it was part of the reason the barn stunk so much. Malon quickly shook off the thought and surveyed the cattle in the room. It would be best to start with whichever cow looked ripe for milking, since she needed to get to market as soon as possible. When she decided upon one that looked ready, she set up her stool and got ready herself.

"Now, don't you worry, old girl. This won't take long." She gave the cow a pat of assurance on its side. She liked to treat the animals with as much kindness as possible. For some reason she couldn't explain, she found it comforting to talk to the animals as she worked, so she did just that.

"You know, I've been feeling a lot more… what's the word I'm looking for…'bored' lately? Nah, nah, 'bored' isn't the right word. I just feel like I need a break, you know what I'm saying? Like, I want to do somethin' I haven't done before, go see somethin' I've never seen, maybe meet some new people!"

She got a moo in response.

"Ah, you're right. What's the matter with me? I'm not usually like this."

The cow gave another moo, but this time, it seemed alert.

"What's the matter? Is there somethin' going on?" Malon looked up at the side of the cow's face. Its eyes seemed locked on towards the door to the barn.

"Did someone knock, and I just didn't hear it? It's probably Papa. Hold on."

After cleaning her hands off quickly with an old, dusty rag, she walked over carefully to the door, making sure not to disturb any of the other cows.

"Yeah, Papa? What is i-" She started as she opened the door, but was cut off by sheer surprise.

"Hey there, Malon! I heard you talking inside that barn just now. It's kind of sad that you feel that way, but, lucky you! I was actually going to ask if you wanted to spend the day with me."

Malon gave a laugh of sheer joy and threw her arms around the newcomer's chest.

"Fairy Kid!"

Link grinned and returned the hug. Malon blushed as he gave her a small squeeze.

"It's been so long since I've visited, huh?"

"Definitely! How've ya been? You look mighty fine today, but then again, you always do."

Link was a little flustered now, but he laughed that off too.

"I've been alright. You look great too, Malon."

"Thank you kindly."

"Say, I was wondering if you wanted to join me on my way to Kokiri Forest! Normally, I would go with just Navi, but I figured going with a friend would be a lot nicer. What do you say?"

Malon couldn't have asked for anything else right now.

"Ya mean like on an adventure?"

"Well, I wouldn't necessarily say so, but if it makes you happy, I don't see why we can't call it that!" Link answered before messing with the hair on the side of his head, as if nervous.

"I would love to go! But, ah…"

Malon turned back to look at the inside of the barn again. There was still a lot of milking to do, and even after that, her list of chores was long.

"I'm kinda busy today. I'm sorry, Link."

"Don't worry about that! I already asked your father if it was alright when I first got here. How do you think I knew where to find you?"

"Did ya really? I still want to check with him first. Hafta see whether he thinks I'll be able to make up the work later without getting too far behind."

"That's fine with me."

With that, Malon nodded to Link, then returned to where she had been milking earlier. She quickly stored the stool back into its closet, then dashed to the barn door.

"Pardon me, Link! I gotta get some bottles to put the milk in before we go. Do ya mind scooting aside for a second?"

Link backed up to give Malon space. She thanked him, then ran towards the house where her father had called from earlier. He would probably have been asleep by now if Link hadn't shown up and talked to him. Nonetheless, she would ask him about spending the day with Link while she grabbed some bottles. Less time spent on the ranch meant more time spent with Link, and for some reason, she was set on doing whatever she could to get more time with him.

Panting slightly, she threw open the door to the house as soon as she was close enough. Talon jumped at the sudden noise, then spotted his daughter in the doorway.

"You're breathin' a storm, Malon! What's the rush? Did ya hear from Link? He just came by and asked me if it was alright for ya to go out with him. I said it was alright with me, as long as you're back before sundown."

"Yeah, Papa. I just need to - wait, did he say 'go out' when he asked?"

"Yeah, like going out for a walk."

Though she didn't want to admit it, Malon's heart sank the tiniest bit with that.

"Oh, okay. B-but listen, Papa. I still gotta bottle up some milk, but I never got to finish the milking entirely, and I've still got a lot to do 'round here. Is it really gonna be fine if I go for the whole day? I'll have to make it all up."

Talon shook his head, then stood up from the chair he had been sitting on when Malon first arrived. He walked over to his daughter, then set both his hands on her shoulders.

"Sweetheart, don't worry about all that. I'll take care of it. You've done a lot of work this week. I can do whatever it is that needs to be done. Just go and enjoy yourself."

"Aw, Papa. Thank you."

Malon gave her father a big hug, then, with a start, rushed over to where empty milk bottles were lying on the floor. They were strewn about, with some lying on their sides, some upright, and some stacked on top of each other. Malon chose two at random and carried them, one in each hand.

"I'll bottle up the milk I got earlier, then. It's the least I can do before I go."

"You're such a generous daughter, Malon. Thanks."

"No problem, Papa. I'll see ya later!"

Malon then left the house and met back with Link at the barn. She filled the bottles she had brought as quick as possible, cleaned the bucket with the same dirty rag from before, then threw the bucket and rag into the closet. All of this was done so fast that Link didn't even have to wait for a minute before Malon shut the barn doors and was standing next to him.

"Ready when you are, Link!"

"Are you sure?"

"Surer than the Sun risin' over the sky every mornin'!"

"Alright, alright. Just try to relax, though. You're sweating a lot."

"D'aw, sweat never hurt anyone!"

"Still, we're going to try and just take our time while we're out, okay?"

Link used his thumb to wipe off a drop of sweat from Malon's face as a friendly gesture, but he couldn't keep himself from looking into her eyes while he did so. They showed signs of weariness, but there was something of a hopeful glimmer in them too. Link's hand trailed a little longer until it met Malon's hairline, causing him to play with her hair a little. He found it to be particularly gorgeous. It was such a nice auburn color - one that gave him the impression of warmth. He must have slipped into a daydreamy mood, because when Malon spoke, he shuddered a little.

"Link? You okay? You've been playin' with my hair."

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I didn't make you uncomfortable, did I?"

"Nah, you're fine! I just thought maybe your mind had left this here Earth and traveled to some kind of dreamland."

"Maybe," Link admitted, then cleared his throat while blushing again. "Are you going to get those bottles you left in the barn?"

Malon gasped.

"I forgot about 'em even after all that fuss! Gimme a sec!"

She was in-and-out of the barn in less than ten seconds with the two bottles in her hand.

"Okay, now I'm _really_ ready to go."

"Aren't you going to store those somewhere?"

"I'll drop 'em off on the way out. The milk cart hasn't been moved from where it usually rests near the house. No worries!"

"Alright! After you, miss." Link offered as he stepped aside and gave Malon a bow. She giggled in response and then started her way towards the exit to the ranch, Link trailing close behind.


	2. Chapter 2

The moment that the two left Lon Lon Ranch, they were greeted with the breathtaking sight of Hyrule Field. Green rolling hills and trees were laid across what seemed like an infinite, flat expanse of land. The sunlight bathed them all in a soft, warm glow.

Malon had seen it countless times before whenever she went to the market in Castle Town, but that never took away from it's beauty. Nature was so full of wonder to her, and the biggest wonder of all was the man dressed in green at her side. How the universe could have shaped such a wonderful human being, she did not know.

Link felt the same way. It was always such an exhilarating trip riding around Hyrule Field, catching Poes and just feeling the wind in his face as Epona briskly galloped across the grass. While he preferred to travel across Hyrule Field with no real destination as a way of relaxing himself after a long day, the best reason for traversing the Field was to visit the lovely woman that was standing next to him. It was more than a privilege to be her friend; it was a miracle.

Some time passed before Malon had realized that she and Link has been staring at the Field in front of them, daydreaming. If they wanted to actually go anywhere and do something enjoyable, they needed to waste as little time as possible. The afternoon would shift into the evening quickly, and Malon needed to be home by nightfall.

"Link?"

Link flinched when Malon broke the silence. She was right. He really had been daydreaming, just like she had.

"What is it, Malon?"

"Where's Epona? Didn't you ride over here with her?"

"I did, but she tends to run off when I leave her alone. Don't worry about it, though. I'll call her."

To Malon's surprise, Link took off his cap and reached into it. After a second or two, he retrieved a blue object that she recognized.

"Your ocarina! You haven't played that thing around me in ages! I love singin' along with it."

Link laughed, happy to know that Malon still remembered all of the fun times they had together when they were younger.

"Yeah, and your voice complements it well! You sing so beautifully."

"Ah, Link, ya rascal!" Malon joked, blushing slightly.

"What? It's the truth."

"Thank you."

Link nodded, then lifted the ocarina to his lips. Malon immediately knew the song he was playing. She couldn't help but hum along, and then eventually broke out into singing. The two of them created a nice harmony, which lasted for a while until Link heard the sound of hooves meeting dirt and stashed his ocarina into his cap again. While Link waited in place for Epona to approach, Malon ran over to the horse in excitement.

"Epona!" Malon called out, petting the horse's nose and forehead once she got close. Epona gave a whinny of approval.

Link had caught up to Malon, then decided to pet Epona as well. Malon laughed at how Epona began to nuzzle Link's side as a show of affection.

"Woah, girl! You must be happy to see Malon again, huh?" Link asked while feeding Epona a carrot. The horse whinnied again in delight.

"Is she still jus as good a runner as I remember?"

"She sure is! Still the most dependable horse in all of the kingdom."

Malon grinned, then spoke to Epona.

"Now, Epona, you listen t' me. You keep being good t' this here Link for me, okay? He's important to both of us, right?"

Epona nuzzled Malon's face to show that she was listening to her. Malon giggled uncontrollably. It was such a sweet moment for the two of them after a long time of not seeing each other.

"Alright, you two. Let's get going! Malon, you can sit on Epona. I'll walk next to you."

"What? No, Link, you don't need to do that! I can walk jus fine! I do it all the time when I go to market. Walkin' across this field is a piece of cake!"

"But you're my guest, and guests get to have a nice, calm ride on Epona whenever we go anywhere."

"Are ya really sure it's okay?"

"Absolutely."

"If ya say so…"

Malon mounted Epona's back with a skill and speed that Link had never seen before. He figured she was so used to mounting horses that it was like second nature for her.

"Ready to go, Malon?"

"Whenever you are, Link!" Malon answered with a wink. For some reason, she could not contain her glee. She was finally going to have some quality time with the person she had adored for so long.

"Alright."

Link walked over to Epona's head and gave her forehead a small pat. "Just walk today, okay? No need to gallop."

Epona gave an attentive snort. Link then held onto the reins of Epona's saddle and slowly led the party towards Kokiri Forest - hero, farm girl, horse, and all. Malon sang Epona's Song the whole time.

* * *

When the entourage made it to the opening to Kokiri Forest, Link and Malon bid Epona farewell. Link offered her one more carrot, which she gladly accepted. Epona also gave Malon a final nuzzle on the cheek, which she returned gently. The horse then gave a hearty whinny and trotted away, leaving the two friends alone. Malon had already been excited before, but now she and Link would be together, just the two of them.

"So, where to now, Link?"

"Right through this, uh… log, I guess." Link gestured to the opening before them, which was a hollowed-out log. Malon laughed at his word choice.

"Okay! I'll follow you."

"No need for that, miss!" Link assured her before offering his hand to her. It was so sweet to Malon whenever he called her "miss". He was truly a gentleman.

"Thank you!"

The two of them walked hand-in-hand into the Forest. When Malon saw its interior, she let out a gasp. The sight was breathtaking. The trees created a canopy that blocked the incoming sunlight, creating random golden, glowing patches of light that spotted the ground below their feet. The air seemed alive with magic as small sparks glittered around them. Small, cool gusts of wind flowing around them gave Malon the impression that the Forest itself was breathing.

"Link… It's so amazin'. Did you really grow up here?"

"I sure did. I lived here for twelve years."

"Musta been nice, livin' somewhere so pretty and peaceful."

"It's not as pretty as you," Link added, nudging Malon's side with his elbow. Malon laughed.

"Link! Now, where did that come from?"

"I don't know," Link chuckled.

"You left this place when you met Navi, right?"

"Yeah. Everyone in Kokiri Forest had a fairy. It was like a birthright for Kokiri to have a fairy companion. I was the boy without a fairy, though. People would make fun of me for it, especially Mido…"

"But you had a friend, right? Wasn her name somethin' like Maria? Clara?"

"Oh, you mean Saria. Yeah, she was my best friend."

"I see…" Malon's voice trailed off. Saria had no idea how lucky she was to be friends with Link for such a long time. Malon wanted to be that close to Link someday.

"Hey, speakin' of Navi, where is she? Didn't you say she wasn with you today?"

"Oh, uh…" Link nervously began to stroke the hair on the back of his head while his face broke into a huge blush. "She, uh, got angry at me this morning, so she… left me."

"What?" Malon gasped. Navi was always with Link. She would have had to be extremely upset to leave him alone. "What did ya say to her?"

Link gave a nervous laugh. "I, uh, told her that I didn't need her help with something that I'd been trying to do. I was failing at it, so I had to do it many times. When I wasn't making any progress, she tried to help me. In my anger, I told her I didn't need or want her advice. Naturally, that made her upset, and she just flew away in a fit."

As rude as it would seem to Link, Malon snorted and giggled a bit. Link looked at her, confused as to why she had such a positive reaction.

"What's so funny, Malon?"

"Ah, I'm so sorry, Link! It's just that you both were actin' like kids! That's so like you."

"Is it?" Link questioned, blushing harder and looking away.

"Yeah! But that doesn make you any less of a gallant hero and the wonderful Fairy Kid I know and love."

"Malon…"

"What? It's the truth," Malon singsonged as she mirrored Link's words from a while ago. She let go of his hand and began to kick at the ground as she walked, holding her hands behind her back. She felt like being playful with Link; maybe it was because she was so comfortable with him.

"Thank you, Malon."

"Of course! I hope Navi comes back to ya soon. I know she seems mad, but she'll calm down after a while and find ya again. Then, you two can reconcile."

"I sure hope so. Thank you for being so reassuring!"

"Anythin' for you, Link."

The pair continued their trek through the Forest. Malon asked questions whenever something caught her eye, and Link tried his best to give a thorough explanation. Intermingled into this banter was laughter, smiles, and compliments. It was a "grand old time", as Malon put it.

After some time, the two adults decided to rest in a shady spot, sitting on a soft patch of grass. Malon was captivated by the crisp, calm sounds of the world around her. The air crackled with magic, birds chirped, and insects hummed - and of course, she could hear Link's slow breathing. She could never tell Link this, but his breathing was the most soothing sound that had ever blessed her ears. If she tried, she could probably fall asleep to it easily. Link, meanwhile, kept his gaze on Malon, who was sitting gracefully beside him. The sunlight that caught onto her hair made it glow intensely; the color of her hair made it look like fire. It was very fitting. Malon was such a feisty, hardworking girl, and that determined attitude spread to everyone around her like a wildfire. She was very admirable, for sure.

Almost involuntarily, Link began to slowly run his fingers through the long part of Malon's hair. Malon looked at Link when she felt his fingers tugging on her hair, but then began to lean on his shoulder to show she was okay with it. Their eyes met and stayed focused on each other for a long time. Malon thought that, if she had the chance, she would stay with Link this way for years - or maybe the rest of her life. His body was so warm, so soft, so cozy. Link thought he same thing about her. She was gorgeous, and her hair was nice to the touch. If she would let him, he would caress it for an eternity.

"Link?"

"Yes, Malon?"

"Do ya mind stayin' like this for a while?"

"I don't mind it at all if you don't."

"Oh, I don't mind it at all."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Seconds turned into minutes, minutes turned into hours, and before the pair knew it, the Sun had set. The Moon was now illuminating their private little moment. Link had placed his hands on the sides of Malon's face and was stroking Malon's cheeks with his thumbs. Malon had grabbed one of his hands with her own and placed her other hand on his cheek. Their faces inched closer to each other until their foreheads touched, and Malon could feel Link's breaths on her face. It was pure bliss for both of them. Malon broke her eye contact with Link to look at the Moon above them that was lighting Link's handsome face…

"Link!" Malon called out, breaking the mood. Link blinked in surprise.

"Y-yeah, Malon?"

"The Moon! I told Papa I would be gone the whole day, but it's already over! We need to head back to the Ranch!"

Link's eyes widened. He had completely forgotten how much time had passed since they arrived here. He must have been too distracted with the beauty in front of him.

"Well, let's get goin', Link! Don't sit there like a bump on a log!"

"I hear you, Malon," Link assured her as he stood up. Malon had already risen to her feet.

"C'mon, hustle! Up and at 'em!" Malon instructed Link before dashing off, her dress catching onto the grass and making rustling noises.

"Malon! Wait! You don't even know where you're going!" Link yelled after her. She stopped in her tracks, then sighed before turning back to him.

"You're right. I have no idea where the exit is."

"That's okay. This Forest is very tricky, and if you've never lived here, you'll probably get lost. I'll show you the way out."

"Thank you kindly."

The fairy kid and farm girl found their way around the dark, chilly Forest until they reached the exit. Then, after calling Epona, it was only a short time before they found themselves at the entrance to Lon Lon Ranch.

"Thank you for everythin' today, Link. It was the best time I've had in years," Malon admitted, trying to conceal the fact that she was tearing up. It all had ended so quickly - _too_ quickly.

"No problem, Malon. I love y-" Link stopped mid-sentence.

"What was that?"

"I love h-hanging out with you! That's what I meant to say," Link clarified, blushing a bit. He was trying to hide the fact that he was tearing up a bit, too.

"Be safe gettin' home or wherever it is you're headin' next, okay? Can ya promise me that?"

"I promise."

"And you tell Navi I said hi when she comes back!"

"I will," Link said with a small laugh.

They stared at each other in silence for a second before Malon wrapped her arms around Link and rested her head on his shoulder again. Link wrapped his arms around her too and kissed the top of her head. When they separated, Malon had let some tears slip. Link wiped them away gently, which made Malon giggle.

"See ya, Fairy Kid."

"Later, Malon."

Malon watched Link leave with Epona, then headed to the house where Talon would be waiting for her.

Her dreams that night were full of moonlight, warmth, and slow, gentle breaths.


End file.
